District of Columbia Employment Law Update – August 2018

Minimum Wage – Ballot Initiative and Council Response

On June 19, 2018, District of Columbia voters passed a ballot initiative (Initiative 77) to:

Increase the minimum wage in the District of Columbia to $15 per hour by 2020.

Increase the minimum wage for tipped employees so that they receive the same minimum wage directly from their employer as other employees by 2026.

Beginning in 2021, require the minimum wage to increase yearly in proportion to increases in the Consumer Price Index.

The increase would not apply to District of Columbia government employees or contractors. However, the initiative has not become law because the District of Columbia Council introduced an act with the sole purpose of repealing the initiative. The Tipped Wage Workers Fairness Amendment Act of 2018 (B22-0913) was introduced by the council on July 9, 2018 and is currently under review.